Machine tool



.Fuiy 17, 1951 E .J. ROBICHAUD 2,561,035

MACHINE TOOL Filed March 12, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l [N V EN TOR.

Patented July 17, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE TOOL Edmund J. Robichaud, Middletown, Conn.

Application March 12, 1947, Serial No. 734,006

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to machine tools.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of a machine tool which is constructed and arranged in a novel manner to facilitate ease, efficiency and low cost operation in the forming of successive pieces of work.

In the broad aspects of the invention, the machine is adapted to operate on successive work pieces and to form successive pieces of work from bar stock material.

According to novel features of the invention, end portions of a bar of stock or pieces of work are machined in a novel manner and without the use of a stop as ordinarily employed in machine tools thereby obviating the time lost in the operation of a stock stop and increasing productive time. This is accomplished by means which positions a formed piece of work so that it functions as a stop and the positioning means is in rotation at the same speed as the end of the stock bar or piece of work whereby friction between the pieces is eliminated so as to not injure the work pieces.

In ordinary machines, the finished work is discharged into the chip pan so that work and chips must be subsequently separated so that at best the work requires cleaning. Also, a piece of work is frequently thrown by the revolving spindle of present day spindles as it is released and creates a hazard. According to this invention, the completed work passes out through a spindle so that it does not become entangled with chips and the safety hazard is eliminated.

In the operation of the machine in forming a piece on the end of a bar, the bar is fed by means which receives the bar so that feeding means is eliminated and the time lost in the operation of feeding means is saved so as to increase productive time.

Where the machine operates on work pieces instead of on bar stock a component which receives the piece functions as the feeding and discharges a piece of work whereby mechanism for feedin and discharging work is eliminated as well as the operating time therefor so that the productive time of the machine is again increased.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a machine tool embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 to 8 inc. are diagrammatic views showing operation of the principal components of the machine on work pieces; and

Figs. 9 to 14 inc. are similar views to explain the operation of said components on bar stock.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A supporting base is represented by 2 which has a housing 4 secured thereto at one end thereof.

A drive motor 6 is secured to the housing which has a pulley 8 connected by belts ID to a pulley !2 fixed on a .shaft l4. Said shaft is rotatable in the housing and in a bracket is secured to the bed 2.

A primary spindle l8 and a secondary spindle 20 are rotatable in the housing 2 and in a carriage 22 which is slidable back and forth relative to the housing.

Said spindles are rotatable on aligned axes and are similar in construction and of the hollow type adapted for the passage of bar stock or work pieces therethrough. Such spindles are provided with collets adapted to contract for gripping a bar of stock or to expand to release the same. The collets are arranged for endwise movements in the spindles between gripping and releasing positions by actuating means such as collars i9 and 2|. Such a spindle as is adapted for the practice of the invention is shown in the U. S. Patent to Ruppel No. 2,310,259 of February 9, 1943.

Gears 24 and 26 connect shaft M with spindle l8 and a gear 28 fixed on spindle 20 is in mesh with and is slidable relative to a gear 30 fixed on shaft I 4.

A cam shaft 36 is rotatably mounted in the base and is driven by a motor 38 having a gear 40 in mesh with a gear 42 fixed to said shaft 36.

A lever 44 is pivoted at 46 to slide 22 and has a roll 48 in the collar 2| of spindle 2B. A roll 50 on the lower end of lever 44 engages a groove 50' of a cam 52 fixed to shaft 36. As the cam rotates the collar 2| is acted upon to actuate the collet of spindleZU.

A cam 54 has a groove 56 in which is a roll 58 of a slide 60 that is movable back and forth on a stud 62 fixed to the housing. A roll 64 on said member 60' engages collar l9 to open and close the collet of spindle 18.

A cam 66 ,fixed on shaft 36 has a groove 68 which receives a roll 10 of carriage 22 so that the carriage is moved back and forth by rotation of cam 66.

Tool slides 12 and 14 are slidable back and forth on the bed and transversely to the axes of the spindles i8 and 20 and are provided with slots 76 for receiving tool devices for acting on work pieces or bar stock carried by the spindles.

Levers such as 16 are pivoted at 18 to the base and have upper ends in sockets 80 of the slides, as shown in Fig. 2. Lower ends of the levers l6 carry rolls 82 received in grooves such as 84 on opposite sides of a camBB fixed to shaft 36. As cam 86 rotates the levers move the slides back and forth so that cutting tools carried thereby may act on work pieces or bar stock carried by the spindles.

The spindles l8 and 20 are rotated simultaneously and preferably at the same speed and in the same direction. The camshaft is rotated at such a speed as will cause the collets of the spindles to be opened or closed and-the cross slides and carriage toqr'move back and forth in the desired timed; relation.

The operation of the machine will first be described in connection with Work pieces in Figs. 3 -to 8 inc.

In these figures the collet of the primary spindle is represented by full lines I8 and that of the secondary-spindle by dash lines 20.

-'An unfinished work piece of work is represented by 90, a partially finished piece of work by 92 and a finished piece by 94.

In the position of the parts in Fig. 3, the collet 20 has a partly finished piece of work gripped thereby. An unfinished piece of work 90 has been fed forwardly in spindle l8 by any suitable means and it abuts piece 92 which acts as a stop therefor.

When piece 90 abuts piece 92, collet l8 closes andspindle 20 is retracted. Then the tool slides back and forth so that tools thereof operate on opposite ends of adjacent work pieces, such as forming annular grooves 96, as in Fig.6. 1

Thereafter collet 20' opens and spindle 20 moves towards spindle l8 as in Fig. '7 so that work piece 92 is received in collet20'.

Then collet20' closes on work piece 92 as in Fig. 8 and thespindleifl moves to the left to.

pieces are ejected out the rear end of spindle 20.

The operation of the machine will now be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 14 inc. In this case a bar of stock is represented by 96, a partly finished piece of work by 98 and a finished piece by It").

In Fig. 9 Y collet 20 isvgrippinga: finished piece .of. Work-100 and-collet, l8" is-gripping-a bar'of stock. A machining operationihas g been performed as at- I 02 on the bar: 96and 'pieceand the same have been separated at I 04 by operation' of one of the slides.

Spindle 2lland collet 20' move to the left and vsaid collet-is openedas-in'Fig. =10 sorthatathe end of the stock bar 96 is received therein.

.Thecolletifl' is closed, the collet IB'is-opened,

.as,in-Fig..11,.and then the spindle and-collet 2ll'-move away fronrspindle l8 as in Fig.- 12; the 1 colletli! feedsthebar inwardly.

Then with both collets inrotationthe opera-,

.tionat I02 is performed asin-Fig. 13 and finally the work piece isseparated" from the bar atf'l 04 why-operation of one-of the slides as in'Figs.- 14-.

and 9.

'It'will be noted .byreference to Figs; 3 to 8- inc.

that the partially finished work piece. acts as a 4 stop for an unfinished piece of work and that in either case the collet 20' functions to feed the bar of stock or the piece of work.

In all cases the finished pieces of work are discharged through the spindle 20 whereby said pieces are not contaminated with chips and the like. Also since the bar or pieces of work are in the collets there is no opportunity of the collets gaud -spindles being contaminated with chips and the like.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present em- -=bodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being-restrictive;the scope of: the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than 4 by the foregoing description, and all. modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview; and range of equivalencyof the appended claims-are therefore intended to '1 be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claimand secure by Letters Patentof theUnited States is:

l. A machine of the class described -.comprising in combination, a: supporting structure having a housing 'fixedthereto, a carriage reciprocable on saidssupporting. structure towardsand .away from the housing, .a. primary hollow spindle and a secondary hollow spindle in axialalignment and rotatable in the housing and said carriage respectively, a drive shaft rotatable inthe housing and supporting structure disposed in parallelism with said spindles;separate-operating means-connecting said drive shaft with said spindles, means for-reciprocating said carriage including a camshaft, independentlyoperable collet means carried by said spindles for gripping work pieces, and separatecam means operatively connecting the cam shaft and said collet means for operating the latter.

2. A machine of the class described comprising in combination, a supporting structure having a housing fixedthereto, a carriage reciprocable on said structure'towards and away from the housing, a primary hollow spindle rotatable in-the housing, a secondary hollow spindlero tatable in said carriage, a drive shaft rotatable in the housing and said structure disposed in parallelism with said spindles, separate operating means connecting said drive shaft with said spindles, primary cam means for reciprocating said carriage, independently operable collet means carried by said spindles for gripping work pieces, and secondary cam means operatively conmeeting said primary cam means and collets for operating the latter, tool carriers reciprocable in said structure on opposite sides of said spindles and transversely relative thereto, and tertiary cam means operatively connecting said primary cam means and tool carriers arranged for simultaneous reciprocation thereof.

EDMUND J. ROBICHAUD.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of. record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,377,383 Slovak June 5, 1945 

